Anniversary
by SeducedbyFire
Summary: Azula, Ty Lee and fifteen years of marriage. Tyzula Advent Calendar Drabbles. /Complete/
1. Chapter 1

**Year One: Sweet Sugar Cakes**

* * *

"We're going on another first date. That's the only way I'm gonna celebrate my first wedding anniversary. And I won't budge and ‒!"

"I'm not arguing with you. That idea doesn't bother me at all. I merely asked if we even had a first date," Azula replies icily and Ty Lee rolls her eyes with a huge gesture of exaggerated exasperation.

" _Yeah_ we did. It was a dinner date after we got back from that horrible vacation, bunny," Ty Lee snaps, crossing her arms under her breasts.

"That was platonic. Also no, that is the worst nickname I have ever heard. I will divorce you if you call me that again."

"We kissed three times… sunflower." Ty Lee scowls.

"It was platonic kissing. And also a no. I don't think you'll get your wish of having perfect pet names for each other by the end of the night." Azula cocks an eyebrow. The nicknames have not been going so well.

Ty Lee groans loudly and tugs on her own hair. She then flops onto she and Azula's bed, because apparently this _first anniversary_ is as stressful and important as the wedding itself. Azula suggested a second honeymoon for this very reason.

"So, what do _you suggest_ , your worship?"

"Also an awful pet name. I _suggest_ that we stay home and finish these pastries you bought for no reason."

"They're anniversary cakes, snow blossom."

"I think our first date was actually to that horrible party. Do you remember that, fire fairy?"

"That one is the worst yet. And no. I have no idea what horrible party you're referring to."

"You're blushing, sweet sugar cakes."

"Shut up and eat your fucking dessert."

"You didn't say no to that one! I get to call you it forever now!"


	2. Chapter 2

**Year Two: Ice Sculptures**

* * *

"I'm sorry we have to be at the South Pole for our anniversary," Ty Lee says sweetly.

Azula personally doesn't care about _that_ as much as she cares about being at the South Pole in the first place. Her idea of politics was _melting_ this place, but she has to pretend that she just _loves it_ and all its dirty inhabitants for the good of her country. And they said she couldn't help but be a _tyrant_ when Zuko inaugurated her as his advisor.

"I don't want you to even look at that chief I can't remember that name of."

"You know his name."

"No I don't. And you don't either. What's his name again?"

"Sokka. Wait, I mean, I don't know!" Ty Lee frowns.

"You tried. My anniversary gift to you is points for effort," Azula says.

"That's a horrible present," Ty Lee says, frowning.

"Well, I didn't buy you anything before coming here. What is it you would like?" Azula asks, gesturing around this pathetic block of ice.

Ty Lee sighs. "How about the hand of one of those ice sculptures that look like we're not supposed to touch them? You're so less sexy when you're acting like a dignitary instead of a criminal."

Azula stares at Ty Lee admonishingly. "That sounds like a wholly irresponsible thing to do that would reflect very poorly on the Fire Nation," she says as she slows to a stop and hoists herself up onto the snowpack base of the ice sculpture.

Ty Lee presses her hand against her mouth until she can feel her teeth to contain her excitement. Azula nearly falls, but steadies herself, and with one finger lit up bright blue, cleaved the hand off of some Water Tribe hero with one smooth motion. Lunging forward, Ty Lee catches it.

Royal Advisor Azula jumps down from the statue. "Hide it before we get in trouble," Azula hisses and Ty Lee sighs again.

"No. I want everyone to know that you cut off this hand for me. Oh my spirits! Someone is coming!" Ty Lee screams and she shoves the hand into Azula's parka. It _burns_ like cold fire against her skin and Ty Lee crushes their lips together to hide Azula's shriek of shock from the two guards walking past.

Azula is still agape when Ty Lee pulls away.


	3. Chapter 3

**Year Three: Peppermint Tea**

* * *

Ty Lee thinks that Azula has no idea it is their anniversary.

Granted, her life has become more stressful as she gains more of her dreams, all of which require superhuman time input and skills. But that is no excuse to not honor the woman who made it possible for her to be a Grand Advisor in the first place. If it weren't for Ty Lee, Azula would be in the Boiling Rock or another asylum.

Of course, Ty Lee refuses to _tell_ Azula openly that it is their anniversary, and so she just tries to draw the princess's attention at any and all costs. She puts on the sexiest, perfectest pink dress and carries peppermint tea into Azula's office.

Azula is asleep on an unraveled scroll. Ty Lee frowns before feeling zero regrets and poking Azula's arm repeatedly.

"Something better be on fire," Azula whispers as she groggily opens her eyes and sits up.

"I brought you tea," Ty Lee says, setting in front of the princess. _Her_ princess. "It's peppermint, which I know you like."

Azula nods and looks at the eye she has drawn on top of important reports. She cannot focus for the life of her. Princess Azula looks up as she accepts the tea and then sets it aside. Her eyes meet Ty Lee, and then Ty Lee's dress, and what is definitely behind that dress, and she sighs.

"You're not making it any easier for me to focus," Azula snaps and she attempts to return to her work.

Ty Lee crosses her arms. "Well, maybe you should be focusing on me sometimes."

Azula hesitates before asking, "Is it your birthday? No, no… some kind of holiday? Anniversary. It's our anniversary, isn't it?"

"Yeah. And I don't expect us to go out or anything because you never leave this room anymore but ‒"

"Wait, so me taking time out of my schedule to take you on a date would count as an anniversary present?"

"Yes." Ty Lee cocks an eyebrow. She doesn't expect it, especially given the volume of letters and memos on that desk.

"Let's go on a date. Very far away from my work," Azula says, standing up.

Ty Lee is thrilled.

Never has there been an easier anniversary gift for someone to fulfill.

Never has there been a tea delivery that ended so excitingly.


	4. Chapter 4

**Year Four: Mittens**

* * *

"Ty Lee is the _most_ materialistic person I know. What did I do to piss her off?" Azula demands of her brother. Zuko just shrugs uncomfortably. " _What_? What did I do?"

More discomfort. Zuko chews on his lower lip. "I think she's testing you."

"What?" Azula asks.

"She's testing your sentimentality and thoughtfulness. And I think you might be failing, seeing as you're going out with her in twenty minutes and are digging through your closet for a gift," Zuko says and then dodges a nonexistent attack.

"I never fail. Why do I never fail? Because I can make it up on the spot like no one else can," Azula growls and Zuko is more frightened of her than usual. "Pick something random out of this closet that isn't underwear and I will spin it into the most sentimental and thoughtful gift in the history of time."

"I don't think you want me to do this," Zuko says but Azula shakes her head.

" _Do it_ ," and he isn't arguing anymore.

She crosses her arms, closes her eyes and he grabs a mitten. A mitten that already belongs to Ty Lee. Uh-oh. Azula looks about to gouge his eyes out, but then she takes three calming breaths.

"This is the ultimate test of my skills. Thank you, ZuZu, for sucking at everything," she says, grabbing the mitten and using her remaining time to fix her make-up and sexy up her outfit. No one said she had to just use her words.

And, what do you know, Ty Lee cries and can't stop telling people that Azula _does_ have a heart.

Azula gets a really bad painting that she pretends to like.

Everybody wins.


	5. Chapter 5

**Year Five: Snow**

* * *

There is no way humanly possible to find alone time on Kyoshi Island.

Ty Lee is desperately trying, because it is her _fifth_ anniversary and that is _super_ important. But here she and Azula are, in the midst of an urgent emergency conference deal, waiting to be able to get back to the Fire Nation for a belated celebration.

She can't believe she and Azula have stayed together for this long in the first place. It's something that warrants some kind of way to acknowledge the achievement. But she and Azula struggled to find a place. Constantly nearly caught. Or uncomfortable. Or in a total mess.

They are now in the snow. Ty Lee can see her breath when she kisses Azula. Azula is not pleased with being freezing and wet.

But they are trying to not think about the inevitable frostbite _everywhere_.


	6. Chapter 6

**Year Six: The Southern Water Tribe**

* * *

On their sixth anniversary, they haven't spoken to each other in weeks.

Azula did something… regrettable.

Ty Lee reacted in regrettable ways.

But neither of them feel a lick of remorse. Until they start to think about today, and each other, and how everything used to be before a single mistake on a trip to the Southern Water Tribe two months ago.

Azula was a dignitary away for business and Ty Lee thought _so little_ of it. She wishes she had demanded to go along with the princess, like she had in the past. But she didn't, and there isn't any changing the fact that Azula must have gotten _cold_ one night because she decided she needed someone else to _warm her bed_.

Ty Lee is sitting and staring at her stupid mitten. It was a horrible gift, even if Azula had the sweetest reasoning on the planet. There is nobody else she would rather be with than the girl who cheated on her tonight, and that feels so _complicated_.

Azula is sitting and slowly, one by one, lighting the pages of the scrapbook Ty Lee gave her that year on fire. She watches the paper burn and feels no satisfaction. Her kisses with Ty Lee felt like a fire she wants much more than this one.

But neither of them feel the desire to go find each other. They _could_ if they wanted to, after all. But they just both have too much pride. Ty Lee isn't going to apologize for being angry about being _cheated on_ and Azula isn't going to apologize for the cheating in the first place.

Azula stops burning the book halfway through and hurriedly puts it out. She has decided she wants to keep it, but it is too late.

On their sixth anniversary, they don't even lay eyes on each other.


	7. Chapter 7

**Year Seven: Music Night**

* * *

They are a mess when Iroh invites them over. Things are on the rocks, to say the least. Ty Lee believes in love and Azula believes in never giving up, and so, there they are, together again. It always seems that they just can't break, no matter how many times their fragile glass relationship is thrown on the ground.

"Ty Lee, make him stop that noise," Azula snaps in bed.

Ty Lee just groans. " _You_ get up. You're the one angry about the noise, and he's _your_ uncle."

Azula glares. Ty Lee doesn't budge. Azula relents for once. She gets up, tugs her robe more tightly around her body and walks out, fuming in two ways. Ty Lee wonders why their family is so oddly comfortable with each other; Azula is just in a robe half the time, Zuko just barges in whenever, Iroh has no comprehension of modesty.

Ty Lee rolls over and stops thinking about that. The music still makes her head throb as she tries to avoid analyzing Azula. It always brings her closer to forgiving her wife for cheating on her… which maybe she did, seeing as she is on vacation, in bed with her, the night before their seventh anniversary.

After a few moments, a smile twitches on Ty Lee's lips. _That_ is Azula, striking terror into the hearts of old men with a speech about their level of disrespect and dishonor. Iroh says something friendly; Azula says something violent.

Ty Lee closes her eyes. She is happy to be a part of this family, and maybe that makes her anniversary worth it.

Azula comes upstairs as Ty Lee hears boiling tea and awkward goodbyes. Ty Lee pretends to be asleep when Azula lies down beside her, rubbing her cold feet on the warm mattress.

"Happy anniversary," Azula says softly.

Ty Lee smiles to herself.


	8. Chapter 8

**Year Eight: Fireplace**

* * *

A very nervous waiter watches two very dangerous women bicker. He really wishes they would just tell him their order.

Ty Lee loudly protests against Azula _taunting_ her by ordering herself a glass of wine, "I'm pregnant with our first ‒"

" _Only_ ," Azula interrupts.

"Our _first_ child!" Ty Lee exclaims.

"Our _only_ child," Azula corrects and the waiter nods excessively. He is far too afraid to comment on those two scary princesses, and that is how those two scary princesses like it.

He scampers away without finishing the drink order. Not noticing, Azula looks at Ty Lee, whose gaze is fixated elsewhere. And looks at her longer. And longer. And longer. And…

" _What is it_?" Azula snaps and Ty Lee jumps.

"That fireplace is so cold and sad and lonely," she laments. Her lip begins to tremble.

"Don't cry. So help me, if you cry about a lonely fireplace I'm divorcing you forever."

Well, Ty Lee bursts into tears over that. This pregnancy thing is _horrible_. Azula is just glad that the hormonal spillover she has been suffering from does not make her _cry_ like that. Cry all the time. Constantly.

"Would you stop crying if I lit the fireplace and made it… less lonely?" Azula asks, almost _pained_ by her own words.

"Yes. I would." Ty Lee sniffles.

Azula sighs and lights the fire, while the waiter in the distance looks very scared. Ty Lee basks in the warmth and dries her tears with her dark red napkin.

"I wish all of your crying fits were that easy to stop," the princess says.

" _Azula_!"


	9. Chapter 9

**Year Nine: Fever**

* * *

"That infant gave me some sort of plague," Azula complains through her feverish haze.

She _hates_ being sick. And she is beyond ill at the moment, thanks to a grimy little baby who is a _sponge_ for germs. This is all Ty Lee's fault for making such a cute baby that Azula wanted to hold while she was sick and crying. Or maybe that is just maternal hormones. Either way, this is not Azula's fault and Ty Lee needs to stop blaming her for being violently ill.

"You _have_ to go out for our anniversary. Please, please, please, please," Ty Lee begs, clasping her hands together and kneeling at the bedside of her wife of almost ten years. "I know you're sick, but lying around whining isn't any way to celebrate our anniversary."

Azula gazes down at her and sniffles. " _No_."

"Please! I'm not going to sit around like this when we already had plans for dinner and for some actual time alone without our baby," Ty Lee pleads further and Azula thinks she will never hear the end of this.

"Fine. But only if there is copious alcohol where we go," Azula says, wiping sweat from her forehead. She pauses and then wipes off her drenched hand on Ty Lee's shirt.

"Happy anniversary," Ty Lee mutters, looking disdainfully at her infected clothes.


	10. Chapter 10

**Year Ten: Midwinter Madness**

* * *

Azula is in a frenzy.

She does not have a gift for a tenth anniversary. _She does not have a gift for a tenth anniversary_. It is almost unfathomable how screwed she is.

"Tin and aluminum are traditional," says Uncle, her involuntary shopping-mate. He does not look very hopeful about Azula's prospects. "Diamond jewelry too."

"What do I get her?" Azula barely stops herself from grabbing him by the neck and asking until he tells her what to do. This shop is as useless as the other ten Azula tried tonight. _Uncle_ has bought everything from every shop, but none of them have anything right for Ty Lee on this special year.

This is _madness_. Complete madness. Azula thinks she will need to be institutionalized again by the end of tonight if it continues at this rate.

"Well," says Uncle, "you know why it's tin and aluminum?"

" _Do I look like I care_?" Azula screeches, tugging at her hair. She feels a sting on her arm where she clawed it open by accident when scratching at the perfume that gave her an allergic reaction. It is at that moment that she realizes how much she looks like a crazy person. "Go on."

"Because they represent the flexibility and durability of a marriage that lasted ten years, and how it can be bent without being broken," he explains, thinking fondly of his own late wife.

Azula scoffs. "You're more senile than I thought. That is _ridiculous_." She turns to the shopkeeper and orders, "Just give me _all_ of your flowers and diamonds. _All of them_!"

* * *

"It's amazing!" Ty Lee squeals, looking at the garden of clipped flowers and the sparkling rainfall of diamonds. She then sighs. "But it's basically what you get me whenever you fuck up and want me to stop being mad at you."

"Well, since it's our tenth anniversary, I will give the gift of honesty. I was running around the freezing cold and rainy streets trying to find you a special gift until one hour ago. I forgot."

"I knew you would. I don't know how you can remember absolutely every single grudge in our marriage but forget our anniversary, though." Ty Lee looks sad.

Oh fuck.

"Well, the thing about our marriage is that there's a reason it has lasted ten years despite all of the grudges and the cheating and break-ups and our… speckled past," Azula begins, and then she grasps at straws. She is going nowhere with this. "Ten year anniversaries are symbolized by tin and aluminum in traditional Fire Nation culture. I obviously did not get you any of those metals because you hate anything below gold. Which was thoughtful. But it's symbolized by that because it represents the flexibility and durability of a marriage that made it that far, and how it can be bent without being broken."

Ty Lee simpers. "That is the most romantic thing," she breathes with one hand on her heart.

Azula succeeds again.

She really hopes her anniversary luck doesn't run out.


	11. Chapter 11

**Year Eleven: Snowman**

* * *

On their eleventh anniversary, their daughter first sees snow.

It thrills everyone involved. Their little baby running outside, Azula pretending to be uninterested before the child shoves snow in her hands and she cannot help but change her mind. Ty Lee smiles and teaches her how to build a snowman, because that's what a mom does. And also what the only person with snowman building experience does.

Maybe this sort of thing, the moment in which Azula helps their little baby girl – whom is currently pretending to be a dragon – destroy three snowmen is what that _durability_ and _flexibility_ was about.

Their marriage could mend, even after being broken.

Just like people can mend after being broken.

"Ty Lee, stop looking so sentimental and pretend to be in grave danger! _Now_!" Azula orders.

And some things never change.


	12. Chapter 12

**Year Twelve: Frosting**

* * *

Azula gags openly. There is no use in hiding it.

"This is the _worst_ cake I have ever had the displeasure of eating. Whoever made it should be put to death," Azula says. Her voice is hoarse from nearly throwing up.

How could a cake be _that_ bad?

" _Azula_ ," Ty Lee argues but then she laughs. "Burn him alive just like this burnt cake."

"I will. At the stake," Azula says with such an earnest look in her eyes that Ty Lee cannot help but grin.

She does not care about the cake. She cares about _Azula_ , and the fact that somehow they have made it this far. Somehow, their marriage is unconquerable.

"The frosting is good," Ty Lee says, rubbing some onto her finger and licking it.

Azula grimaces, and so Ty Lee doesn't even bother drying her hand before rubbing the damp frosting on Azula's lips.


	13. Chapter 13

**Year Thirteen: Gifts from Iroh**

* * *

Iroh looks at the two girls and gives them a look that Azula does not like. Ty Lee was eager about Iroh's shopping addiction and how he said he would get them gifts. She is bouncing. Azula watches; of course there is bouncing.

"I struggled to find the perfect gift," Iroh says and Ty Lee hopes for diamonds. "So, I am going to give you the gift of wisdom. I want to tell you what you already know, because for two decades you two have faced more than many couples face in a lifetime."

"So, no actual presents," Azula asks, cocking an eyebrow.

He ignores her. "I had to think of my best proverb. It is one I told to my own wife," and now things get emotional, "Love does not begin and end the way we seem to think it does. Love is a battle, love is a war; love is growing together. I read that in a book once."

"So, you admit it. You don't just come up with puzzling, senseless proverbs off of the top of your head," Azula says, crossing her arms.

Iroh then hands Ty Lee a book. It is not the kind of gift she really wants, but she accepts. It is annotated and well-loved.

It is a book of proverbs about love. About remaining strong together.

Ty Lee pounces and hugs him.

She whispers in his ear, "I'm going to make her read it. I promise."

She pulls away.

"Are you unhappy?" Azula asks, unimpressed by the display of sentimentality.

"Advice is the gift that keeps on giving." Ty Lee smiles warmly.

Azula glares at her.


	14. Chapter 14

**Year Fourteen: Ribbons**

* * *

Ty Lee laughs carelessly, happily, without any restraint. Azula gave her another perfect gift by accident, and Ty Lee thinks that might never change. It has, after all, been a very long time. The beauty products are perfect, the shoes exquisite.

"But you're my real gift!" Ty Lee exclaims, tearing the ribbons from the package.

Azula stares at her, bewildered, until she realizes what Ty Lee is doing. The acrobat has lifted herself onto the table, and on her hands and knees, forces the ribbon on Azula's head, wrapping it in her hair and tying a bow that most likely will need to be cut out.

Azula sits still and Ty Lee has never loved her more. Sometimes Azula even has _patience_ these days. It is _perfect_.

Ty Lee kisses her.

And Azula says, "I am the most magnificent present in the history of time. You are worthy."

Ty Lee grins.

* * *

 _ **AN:**_ I don't usually ask for reviews, but I've never gotten anywhere _near_ 100 before in my entire time on this site of fourish years and I'm so excited that I'm so close. It means the world to me that you guys like this story and if you have the time, I would really love a review. Thank you so much again for reading.


	15. Chapter 15

**Year Fifteen: Bedtime Stories**

* * *

Their baby girl asks for a bedtime story.

Ty Lee and Aula have just come home from their anniversary date night. It was almost normal, funnily enough. Neither of them would have predicted that, but, maybe they don't have the normal idea of normal after fifteen years of marriage.

That's a lot of years.

They both smell like perfume and have a little extra make-up and their baby girl thinks that they are the most beautiful women alive.

And she asks for her bed made.

And she asks for a cup of water.

And she asks for her stuffed animals to be rearranged.

And she asks for a bedtime story.

"Tell me about your anniversary! I wanna know!" their baby girl begs with a stuffed tiger-monkey clutched tightly to her chest.

Ty Lee glances at Azula.

Azula mouths, _'I've got nothing'_ and Ty Lee frowns.

"Okay, once upon a time, your mother was sick and _I_ saved her. I _needed_ to save her…"


End file.
